How strong where you when you started lifting?

[pwr_machine]

My first meet was in October 1996. I had been training for about 4 months prior to this meet.

Squat 230
Bench 120
Dead 290
Total 640

Impressive cause I firmly believe she'll double her total one day! And stay in the same weight class.

 

[b fold the truth]

I remember going into the gym and missing 95 pounds on the towel bench and not being able to squat the smith machine bar...

B True

 

[Scotsman]

My first maxes in the gym.

bench 85lbs
squat 185lbs
deadlift 225
couldn't do dips or pullups then.
Military press the bar maybe
Curls like 40-50lbs
rows machine 250 or so, i have always had a strong back.

Cheers,
Scotsman

 

[MsBeverlyHills]

Four yrs ago-- I was curling the pinks & then moved up to the purples...

 

[louden_swain]

In 1993, I was able to tiple 86lbs on the bench press.

When I discovered squats, I was able to use 120lbs for sets of 8.

 

[Zander1983]

I remember my "long-term" goal used to be a 135lb bench press.

 

[Tiervexx]

I have mentioned before that i really started from scratch. I did pushups with bad form for about a month before i could do bench presses with 40lbs.

 

[Backlash]

I remember going into the gym and missing 95 pounds on the towel bench and not being able to squat the smith machine bar...

Is that a joke? The smith bar is counter-balanced so it's basically weightless right?

For me, I can't remember what I started at when I first started in college... definitely less than 135 on bench though. And I never squatted until a few months ago.

 

[louden_swain]

In high school, we had weightlifting records posted up on this huge board above the gymnasium. There were several weight classes. At the time, I was in the 135lb and under class. I looked up at the board and it displayed:

135lbs and under

BENCH - J. Dunne 190
SQUAT – J. Dunne 345
DEADLIFT – J. Dunne 370


At the time I was working towards breaking the record. . I was at 175lbs. Dunne was a couple years older than me.

It was the summer of 1993, and I started to train serious because I wanted the new record. Come Fall, I was hoisting 200lbs as a sophomore. I went to check the boards, and Dunne had benched 250lbs!!!! I felt like I was light years away!! At the end of the year, Dunne ended up with a 275lb bench at 135lbs and under before he graduated. I also attempted to beat his deadlift record, but a 325lb dead was no where near close to a 370lb dead.

To this day, I can still remember the numbers. . .to me Dunne was my idol, but I could never match up to him. . thinking about his records fueled my passion for training during the high school years. Dunne never did break his squat and dead records. I would like to visit my H.S. sometime to see the new records.

 

[Zander1983]

louden, it sounds like you managed to get yourself off to a brilliant start by going to a school that encouraged squats and deadlifts!!!

All we cared about was how much we could bench.